April 25, 2013

Ultraviolet and Quicksilver by R.J. Anderson


Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson
Release Date: June 2, 2011
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Pages: 303
Series: Ultraviolet
#1
Review Source: For review from Monarch Books

Synopsis: (from Amazon.com)
"Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her."

Sixteen-year-old Alison wakes up in a mental institution. As she pieces her memory back together, she realizes she's confessed to murdering Tori Beaugrand, the most perfect girl at school. But the case is a mystery. Tori's body has not been found, and Alison can't explain what happened. One minute she was fighting with Tori. The next moment Tori disintegrated--into nothing.

But that's impossible. No one is capable of making someone vanish. Right? Alison must be losing her mind--like her mother always feared she would.

For years Alison has tried to keep her weird sensory abilities a secret. No one ever understood--until a mysterious visiting scientist takes an interest in Alison's case. Suddenly, Alison discovers that the world is wrong about her--and that she's capable of far more than anyone else would believe.
My Thoughts:
‘Ultraviolet’ was an incredibly interesting read. It’s been a long time since a book captured my attention so much and kept it throughout. I loved the Canadian setting (Sudbury), and I was immediately intrigued by the psych ward setting and the main character who right away claims that she has killed someone.

Alison was so interesting, because she has these abilities or senses, but just from her narration she doesn't seem crazy. She seems damaged, yes, but trustworthy. You can’t help but like her, and wish the best for her. All of the characters in this book are great, but for me the strength of Alison’s narration and her unique way of seeing the world is what made this book shine.

I had actually read some spoilery reviews for ‘Ultraviolet’ a while back, so I vaguely knew where the book was heading. Obviously this affected my reading experience somewhat. I think if you didn’t know the twist it would be pretty major, although in my reading I did notice a few hints or moments of foreshadowing.

Overall I just really enjoyed ‘Ultraviolet’. It felt fresh and unique. One description of the book calls it “genre-bending”, and I really find that to be true. I definitely recommend that you give this book a chance.

The Cover:
The colour is pretty, and I love how shiny it is in person.

Rating:
[5/5]

Find Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.



Quicksilver by R.J. Anderson
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Pages: 320
Series: Ultraviolet
#2
Review Source: For review from Monarch Books

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Back in her hometown, Tori Beaugrand had everything a teenaged girl could want—popularity, money, beauty. But she also had a secret. A secret that could change her life in an instant, or destroy it.

Now she’s left everything from her old life behind, including her real name and Alison, the one friend who truly understood her. She can’t escape who and what she is. But if she wants to have anything like a normal life, she has to blend in and hide her unusual... talents.

Plans change when the enigmatic Sebastian Faraday reappears and gives Tori some bad news: she hasn’t escaped her past. In fact, she’s attracted new interest in the form of an obsessed ex-cop turned investigator for a genetics lab.

She has one last shot at getting her enemies off her trail and winning the security and independence she’s always longed for. But saving herself will take every ounce of Tori’s incredible electronics and engineering skills—and even then, she may need to sacrifice more than she could possibly imagine if she wants to be free.
My Thoughts:
‘Quicksilver’ is labelled as a companion book for ‘Ultraviolet’, and while I can see that you might be able to read them separately (different main characters, and quite a different situation), I personally would recommend reading ‘Ultraviolet’ first. It gives the story a lot of context, and gives the readers explanations that they might otherwise be lacking.

‘Quicksilver’ is very different, tonally, from ‘Ultraviolet’, but like that book it got my attention right away. Tori, or Niki as she is known in her new location (though I’m just going to refer to her as Tori), is so different from Alison. I love how we get to see her perspective and what she’s had to deal with over the years. She’s so different from what Alison originally thought of her, and I love that. It really shows how we can’t know who a person truly is.

This book automatically made me happy because it’s another Canadian setting, this time close to home in Southwestern Ontario (pretty sure it’s the KW area, though it’s not officially named). I was also nerding out at what I’m pretty sure was an ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ reference. There were definite nerd references and lots of science and engineering geekery. I loved seeing that sector represented, especially from a girl's POV.

While ‘Ultraviolet’ was very ‘mess with your mind’, psychological thriller, this one was more strictly sci-fi with a side of action. However I think what I loved most about this book was the relationship between Tori and Milo. I don’t think it’s too spoilery to say that Tori is asexual. This was very interesting for me, because I have to admit that I don’t really know anything about asexuality. Nevertheless, it felt like RJ did a fabulous job presenting it, in that it felt natural. Tori’s asexuality wasn’t presented in a preachy way at all, it was just a part of her. Because of this there was a lack of overt romance, but there was such a deep connection between Tori and Milo. I loved how there was pure friendship and respect between these two.

If you've been searching for a book with action and science that features great characters, then look no further. There’s a lot to like about these books, and I’m looking forward to reading more from R.J. Anderson in the future.

The Cover:
The image isn't my fave, but I like the colour again, and the general design (title font, etc).

Rating:
[4/5]

Find Quicksilver by R.J. Anderson on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

7 comments:

  1. Woah, these sound SO good and are very intriguing! I don't think I've heard about them before, and I love how they are set in Ontario towns.

    You also don't have a lot (read: pretty much ANY) asexual characters in YA fiction (or maybe even just fictional alone) so yay!

    I'm DEFINITELY going to check these out, especially the first book, which sounds more up my alley!

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    Replies
    1. I know, right?? They are so fresh and interesting, and the fact that they are set in Ontario just makes them all the more cool.

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  2. WHOOT for Canadian settings! I have to say that's a major reason why I liked these too. :D Agree, both Alison and Tori were really strong protagonists--and oh God, Milo is the best. The plot and pacing really went well with these "genre-bending" styles, and I'm totally hoping for a third book to round out the story arc. :D

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    Replies
    1. Milo definitely = the best. <3

      It's rare that after a month or so after reading a book I still feel excited about the characters and the plot, but replying to comments here I totally feel excited about these ones. To me, that definitely says something.

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  3. I second reading Ultraviolet before Quicksilver-I read them about a year apart and still had some confusion about what was going on. Loved the Canadian settings too!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I definitely think there would be some confusion reading Quicksilver as a standalone... I totally see it as a sequel, just a sequel with a different narrator.

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  4. Hmm, I didn't love Ultraviolet as much as you but I did like it because it was so refreshing. I'm hoping to get around to reading Quicksilver eventually because I think it'll be interesting to see things from Tori's view rather than just hearing about her from Alison.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment; I appreciate each one!

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